Embrace new Climate Action Planning Programme for Africa -AMA Boss

The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mohammed Adjei Sowah, has urged African cities to welcome the new Climate Action Planning Programme for Africa.

This according to him would help build technical capacities within African cities to deliver long-term climate action plans and identify mechanisms to facilitate better national and local integration of climate mitigation activities.

He stressed the need for support in the area of capacity building to ensure long-term improvement to emissions reporting, scenario modelling, and identification of transformative mitigation and adaptation actions to deal with Climate change.

The AMA Boss touched on the need to integrate local actions with actions implemented at national level through a robust and agreeable framework for vertical integration to deal with Climate change.

The AMA CEO who is also C40 Vice Chair for Africa expressed gratitude to the Germany Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) for generously supporting the initiative and also thanked all the implementing partners for the preparatory work that has gone into the programme.

The C40 Climate Action Planning Africa Programme is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

The programme was designed in collaboration with climate experts from Ricardo Energy & Environment who will work closely with the cities to develop their action plans and support greater vertical integration between city and national government climate strategies.

It is expected to provide direct support to 11 African cities in developing unprecedented, robust and evidence-based long-term climate action plans that align with the ambitious objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The support will include a dedicated City Advisor based in each City, a series of workshops, and access to expert technical advice as needed. Nairobi and Abidjan have also joined the programme and are anticipated to submit their climate action commitments soon.

Discussants on the panel underscored the need to catalyze greater and more transparent contributions of cities to the international climate agenda, while, at the same time, addressing local climate change issues that impact on the social and economic well-being of urban residents in Africa.

Panelists also emphasized the need to support African cities to identify new, innovative and transformative activities to support local climate action, to make African cities sustainable and resilient.